Not worried over reopening of case, says Dutee Chand

Bhubaneswar: Firm on her mission to win medals for the country, ace Indian sprinter Dutee Chand on Tuesday said she was not worried about reopening of the hyperandrogenism case against her in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland by the International Association of Athletics Federation.

The 21-year-old Odisha athlete, who has won many medals for the country, said she was focusing instead on the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships that got under way on Tuesday evening here.

“I am not worried about the development. I am focusing on the championships here. I have my lawyers and advisors, who will decide what to do on the hyperandrogenism issue,” said Dutee. She, however, admitted that there was some pressure on her.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe, who is here, said Dutee could participate in the championship. “There is no issue for Dutee to compete in the London World Championships to be held in August 2017, if she qualifies,” said the IAAF chief.

The ace sprinter will compete in three categories in the Asian Championship, 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 relay.

Dutee was disqualified in 2014 by the Athletics Federation of India as per the IAAF’s hyperandrogenism policy after tests revealed that her body produced natural levels of testosterone above a permissible range. The Odia girl challenged the regulations and the decision of the AFI to ban her in September 2014.

In its interim order in July 2015, the CAS panel suspended the IAAF regulation governing eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism to compete in women’s competition for a maximum period of two years in order to give the IAAF the opportunity to provide the CAS with scientific evidence about the quantitative relationship between enhanced testosterone levels and improved athletic performance in hyperandrogenic athletes.

In a press release, the IAAF, quoting a new research paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said, “The study found that in certain events female athletes with high testosterone levels benefit from a 1.8 per cent to 4.5 per cent competitive advantage over female athletes with lower testosterone levels.”